Those of you who know me well know how passionate I am about cooking from scratch using fresh ingredients, the environment and ensuring that the food I make for my family is clean and as chemical-free as it can possibly be…we need to learn to love our leftovers it’s where we can be creative and experiment with flavours some we may like and some we may not but that’s ok it’s a starting point for that great dish that becomes a family favourite…
I am also of an age where I need to keep myself as healthy as I can by eating a varied diet which will also keep me at a healthy weight as long as I continue to exercise which in my case is walking daily…
This series will cover sustainability, news on food production…changes for the better and maybe a villain or three…haha, a recipe or two including some plant-based recipes, hints and tips on making my household a little greener…aka recycling and composting.
Many thanks to Sally for rewinding this series to allow me time to work on my Christmas Cook Book to read the full original post please click the highlighted link below which will take you to Smorgasbord Magazine where you can read the original post I hope you enjoy…See you there 🙂 xx
Welcome to part 3 of our Australian trip…WA is so diverse, vast and very beautiful…back in Baldavis, Perth for the week I was happy to discover that walking is easy here as the walking routes run alongside the roads separated only by trees and shrubs…very well thought out…
The Banksia Prionotes is a striking bush stroke small tree and one which I snapped on my walk as the flowers are so striking…
Banksia Prionotes
Close up of Banksia Flower
Commonly known as acorn banksia or orange banksia, It is native to the southwest of Western Australia and can reach up to 10 m in height. It can be much smaller in more exposed areas or in the north of its range.
Banksias are a symbol of rebirth and new beginnings, which makes sense considering they’ve become a popular wedding flower. These flowers are also ancient––the earliest fossil record of one being more than 50 million years old!…
It was lovely although nippy for me-smile- well it is autumn here and nearly winter to see the different flowers and a treat to walk around shops with so much to offer that I used to eat I was like a kid in a sweet shop…I did however sneak some parsnips and swede into my suitcase…they mind what you bring into Australia although they have no problem with what you take out..even between individual states or provinces there are strict rules on what you can take out for example my daughter wanted to buy some honey from another state and she was not allowed…the rules are very strict for a reason but it keep outside diseases out…
It was then back for the weekend to Dongarra where Donna had planned a trip further up North to Kalbarri…Situated where the Murchison River meets the Indian Ocean, the town of Kalbarri is surrounded by the soaring inland and coastal gorges of Kalbarri National Park, protected swimming bays like the Blue Holes, superb walking trails, and over 1000 species of wildflowers.
The scenery here is breathtaking…on the drive to Kalbarri we stopped at the Pink Lake, Port Gregory…known as Hutt Lagoon photo shoots including Lancôme’s Life is Beautiful campaign and Myer’s Jennifer Hawkins Summer collection have been shot here…I can understand why as it is very beautiful and if the sun is in the correct position it is very pink…
Hutt Lagoon , Port Gregory
Donna and Moi
Donna and Moi
Donna and Moi
The pink hue is created by the presence of carotenoid-producing algae, Dunaliella salina, which is a source of beta-carotene; a food-colouring agent; and a source of Vitamin A…isn’t nature wonderful…?
It was then another drive to our destination for the weekend after the men stopped of for another pie…
Kalbarri Skywalk in Western Australia.
The Kalbarri Skywalk offers breathtaking views of the Murchison River gorge and its spectacular surrounding landscape…it also and not before time in my mind acknowledges that the Aboriginal people are the traditional owners of Kalbarri National Park…
There is a beautiful gallery here with lots of information surrounding the treatment of the Aborigines and looking at the images and reading the text was heartbreaking…I’ll stop here with my thoughts as this post is not the time or place and Australia is not the only country who should be ashamed of the treatment of indigenous peoples.
Kangaroos
Ostriches are native here
group snapshot
View from the Skywalk
View from Skwalk
Some of the flora
While the drop may not be as slightly terrifying as what you can experience from the skywalk in the Grand Canyon, the larger of the two skywalks extends an impressive 25 metres over the edge of the gorge, making one feel like they are walking out over nothing…we then carried on to the beautiful natures window …Nature’s Window is accessed via an easy 1km return walk…
The Natures Window Walk Trail is a picturesque, moderate, one-kilometre return walk beginning with a flight of stairs from the lookout at the carpark descending down to Natures Window, a wind-eroded opening in the layered sandstone that frames a view of the mighty Murchison River.
Natures Window
View over the gorge
View from Natures Window
When viewed from the right angle, the wind-eroded opening in the sandstone frames the Murchison River in the gorge below perfectly.
It was then back to Dongarra for another wonderful crayfish dinner before we had to head back to Perth for the last few days of our holiday which has been fabulous…but before that, we were lucky to get another trip on the boat to pull some more crays…
Where I was treated to another freshly landed cray…my last one cooked on the boat until I return again…Time to head back to Perth where I have some last-minute shopping to do and a visit to Penguin Island at Shoalwater Bay but that’s for another day…
Good morning and welcome to Monday Musings and a lovely wet morning it is with overnight much-needed rain…Today I am sharing some more of my Australian trip…After the nightmare journey I had on my UK trip last year I am pleased to report that the flight and connections were seamless and trouble-free… the bonus after all my stress and worry was we sailed through immigration and it was lovely to see Donna and the boys waiting for us …not boys anymore but tall strapping young men who tower over me but at heart they are still how I remember them.
The next morning after unpacking and packing a weekend bag… Donna drove us after first picking up her OH Brennan to Dongarra where they live…a town of about 2,500 people with beautiful bougainvillaea flowering everywhere we settled in our nice comfortable room and then had our first meal one of many of the beautiful crayfish(rock lobster)…the next morning she took me on an early morning walk…along the Irwin river beach trail…
The trail to the beach
The river Irwin
Dongarra beach trail
Wild Honey Bees
Wild Pink Peppercorns
We went uphill and down dale through dunes up and down lots of steps to the beach along the way we saw wild pink peppercorns…These limestone rocks house many honeybees you can sometimes see the honeycombs but I’m not brave enough to risk their wrath to collect one apparently some do but I’m sure they are experts and wear appropriate clothing…it was just lovely to see so many nooks and crannies where the bees make their combs…I’m guessing because of the remoteness the honey bees feel safe and have a bounty of wonderful plants and flowers from whence to collect the pollen they needed…it was a lovely walk and we only saw one other person… it is beautifully remote and so lovely a bit nippy but I soon warmed up and I was rewarded by a lovely hot chocolate in a local cafe when our walk was over…
The next morning as you probably know we were taken out on the cray boat and saw first-hand how crays are pulled…and also about the cray and fishing industry in Dongarra…it was just so lovely to be out on the open sea and witness the lifestyle in that area…
On the journey back to Perth on Monday after a lovely weekend spent with our darling girl we of course had to stop off for a pie I quickly learnt that pies are big business here and Aussies love their pies as does my OH…me I don’t eat pies but no matter as long as the men were happy and had full stomachs then the world was all right…
Back in Perth, I had some lovely early morning walks..Perth has changed and is more built up but still small by city standards…
Perth City by the dock
A seagull
View across the water in Perth city
Surrounded by water I love Perth and overlooked by the lovely Kings Park plus Heirisson Island is nestled between the suburbs of East Perth and Victoria Park on the Swan River.
The island is an important part of the City’s Nyoongar heritage and a beautiful oasis of calm in Perth, full of kangaroos.
The Nyoongar name for the area is Matagarup (meaning ‘leg deep’) which has been retained for the island. This video shows you how Perth City is surrounded by water and conservation of species is high on the agenda,,,
The kangaroos on this island are wild kangaroos and feeding is not allowed but they have plenty of vegetation. This video also shows a beautiful sunset over the City of Perth where else would you get a city skyline and kangaroos…
Freemantle is one of my favourite places in Perth there is a beautiful old undercover market and I was amazed at how many different cuisines there were on offer it was also very crowded…but Donna and I brought a lovely necklace we brought each other one…My choice was rose quartz and Fluorite which is a beautiful green colour…which means we can change our stone depending on our mood or outfit of course there was fudge -smile-plus a lovely honey cake which is only found in Perth…or Freeo to be precise…
Original Honey Cake
Fluorite and rose quartz
The honey cake I brought home as a gift for a friend and she loved it..not having had anything quite like it before it really is a beautiful cake…they also do jars of honeymisu…which sounds absolutely delicious the cake upon going onto the website and learning they do honeymisu is a recipe handed down by the owners family who originates from the Czech Republic…so I am on the search for a cake layered with honey which I think I have found it looks very similar so watch this space I will be giving it a go very soon.
Kings Park which is high above Perth is a beautiful park…one that gives a 360 view over Perth City…
View from Kings Park overlooking Perth City
A beautiful pink pepper corn tree
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus 1
Eucalyptus 2
Eucalyptus 3
I absolutely love trees especially when the trunks form some wonderful shapes like the pink peppercorn I actually didn’t realise that the trees grew that big I’ve always thought that peppercorns grew on a bush..how wrong was I…
There were also many different varieties of the Eucalyptus and most were in flower…This trip has been full of different types of landscapes some very remote and stunning others beautiful and with lots of native plants..I have learnt much on this visit about the world we have inherited about indigenous peoples who live and work on some of these lands…who produce stunning artwork…it certainly was a time for family and discovery of places and previously untried foods a wonderful holiday …
More to come next time…I hope you have enjoyed this snapshot of my holiday in WA…
Welcome to my weekly roundup of posts just in case, you are like me and find a roundup helpful especially when the week has been busy…This is my first roundup for a few weeks as I have been on a break to Australia we certainly noticed the drop in temperatures as it was the end of Autumn there hence the early mornings were brisk but the days were sunny albeit far cooler than I am used to however now I have dropped quite a few kilos I could raid my daughters and daughters-in-law wardrobes for warmer clothes…
We had the best time and had the best news on our return was that Donna’s scan showed no growth or change and as the doctor said they had no way of knowing as these were her first two lung scans whether the legion had been there all along… they will do follow up scans but are happy that it is nothing of concern which was a great relief all round…
I am easing my way back to blogging gently starting with Monday Musings where my muse pinpoints anything exciting or unusual I have read, seen or experienced during the last week it could be anything that piques my interest…we are now in June…can you believe it?
Monday Musings…
This Monday’s musing was a little about our Australia trip…also on my trip I saw a 3D printer in action and I was fascinated… my grandson made me a model of Perth and has promised to make me one of Bangkok he also made me another figurine and I can use it to store my SD cards…I spoke the other week about dissolvable vaccine patches and can now see how those and a gun can be made it is awesome to watch it in action I was just dumbstruck at the precision..
3D image of Perth skyline
Perth Skyline
My little notebook fits in just fine and although it probably wasn’t intended for that use it sits next to me and reminds me of Josh every time I look at it and it is all about memories don’t you think?
I think it is very important to be aware of what we can do as we age to help our bodies stay healthy…we all know diet and exercise are important as we age but are we aware of our circulatory systems and how we can recognise common problems and know how we can maybe prevent them or get the necessary treatment if some of these problems occur…To read this post in full from Smorgasbord Magazine please click the highlighted link below…
When I was researching for this post I had a hankering to visit although I most probably never will however it is the sort of island that I would love to visit…It is not called the Spice Island for nothing and they are all spices I love and use although I admit I don’t use nutmeg enough… This fertile volcanic land, with its plentiful sunshine and warm air from the sea, makes it ideal to grow most crops, especially cocoa and nutmeg, both of which Grenada exports to the rest of the world…often the trees sit next to other fruits like mango or cinnamon, so when the roots mix, the cocoa absorbs flavours giving it a distinctive taste…Grenadian cocoa for me is one of the best…I hope you enjoy the virtual tour of this beautiful island of Grenada…
I’m a firm believer that our diets are a reflection of some of today’s lifestyle diseases and that by changing our diets we can help our bodies remain as disease free as possible…Part 3 of this series written by Sally of Smorgasbord Magazine advises us on a Healthy eating plan – for the circulation system…
Personally, I have been shocked by the recent figures worldwide on type 2 diabetes and by friends who have this and have had to have amputations it has scared the bejesus out of me and made me wonder why when diseases like this can be addressed by diet and exercise that more people don’t help themselves…
To obtain this plan please click the highlighted link below which will redirect you to Smorgasbord Magazine where you can read the original post…See you there xx
Thank you for joining me today…I hope those of you who have a bank holiday are having lovely weather…I am looking outside as I type and the wind is blowing up so methinks we may get another tropical storm it is the rainy season and most welcome…
Pictured below are some snapshots from my Australian visit…my daughter knows what a fan I am of Masterchef both the English and Australian ones in particular so Donna and my grandsons took us to Bumplings an Airstream dumpling kitchen she also gave me a book on dumplings signed by Brendan Pank of Masterchef fame…the food was absolutely delicious we were lucky to only have a short wait for a table…I had the spicy Beef Dan Dan Noodles and Donna had the Crispy Pork Wontons pictured, the boys had Bao Buns and MauritianPork Belly Noodles…
Brendan Pang
Crispy Pork Wontons
Josh
Baobab Tree in Kings Park WA
View from Skywalk Kalbassi WA
Dongara
The beautiful majestic Baibab Tree was one of the trees in Kings Park a beautiful park that overlooks Perth City…Dongara is where my daughter lives and those steps both down and up were part of the walks we went on she certainly had me exercising those glutes…The view over the gorge and the river was from the skywalk in Kalbarri(not) Kalbassi in the image I got my r’s and s’s in a muddle-smile- I will share more tomorrow in Monday Musings…Hope to see you there in the meantime enjoy your Sunday xx
I’m a firm believer that our diets are a reflection of some of the lifestyle diseases and that by changing our diets we can help our bodies remain as disease free as possible…Part 3 of this series advises us on a Healthy eating plan – for the circulation system…
To obtain this plan please click the highlighted link below which will redirect you to Smorgasbord Magazine where you can read the original post…See you there xx
Welcome to my latest A-Z …World Cuisines…where I will be looking at the countries of the world, their food and national dish or their most popular dish around the world…by this I mean some dishes are eaten in many countries as their fame has spread around the world…
Today I am looking at the cuisine of Grenada…widely known for its spices, giving it its common nickname as the Spice Isle. Grenada is a significant source of cloves, cinnamon, and ginger, nutmeg among others.
Nutmeg syrup is a sweet syrup that has been infused with nutmeg. It’s an ‘institution’ in Grenada and one of those things that most visitors want to take back home with them. There’s only one problem with doing this – it’s so good, it runs out fast!
It can be used on pancakes, waffles with bananas, ice cream or yoghurt. The nutmeg flavour can only be described as delicious and you can even use it on toast with butter, to create a snack or breakfast that tastes a little like French toast.
All you need is three ingredients…
8floz water
½ lb brown sugar
2 nutmegs cut in half.
Add everything to the pan and allow it to simmer for 30 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when it will coat the back of a spoon. You’re looking for small bubbles, not a boil. Catch it before it turns to candy and you’ll be in heaven with this delicious – lip-smacking good nutmeg syrup sauce.
Now put it into a squeezy bottle or a glass jug and keep it in the fridge. Some opt to leave the nutmegs in the sauce as they continue to add flavour during storage and they add to the visual appeal…add a bow and it would make a lovely unusual Christmas Pressie…especially if you add just a touch of rum and cinnamon…
Grenada is a small island country of volcanic origin in the eastern Caribbean. It lies just 160 kilometres north of Venezuela. Grenada has a ridge of mountains that runs from north to south with steep valleys. It also features large areas of tropical rainforest.
Yams, potatoes, okra, mangoes, beans, turmeric and some fruits native to the Caribbean such as soursop and golden apple can be found here plus homegrown produce like bottles of coconut oil and nutmeg syrup which I have not heard of or tried although I am a fan of nutmeg…it gets better…Grenada is one of the world’s largest importers of nutmeg, and the aromatic spice is used in an array of local dishes. What better way to enjoy it than by eating a refreshing nutmeg ice cream by the sea? The velvety treat makes use of freshly ground nutmeg and heavy cream for the ultimate island dessert…yum…
Grenada’s national dish which is cooked in most homes over the weekends is a one-pot stew made using breadfruit, a meat of your choice, dumplings, callaloo, seasoning and coconut milk and gets its name from the layer of oil that settles to the bottom of the pot.
Other favourites include goat curry and the crab back, made with fresh crab meat baked with herbs, wine and cheese sauce…Goat curry seems to be coming up on my radar a lot lately and methinks I need to make one…I first came across goat’s meat sold from stalls piled high at Ridley Row market in Dalston in the London Borough of Hackney…as I follow many Indian cooks goat also features highly in Indian recipes and quite recently while in Australia it cropped up again and here we are…goat is on the menu…quite popular around the world it seems…
This fertile volcanic land, with its plentiful sunshine and warm air from the sea, makes it ideal to grow most crops, especially cocoa and nutmeg, both of which Grenada exports to the rest of the world…often the trees sit next to other fruits like mango or cinnamon, so when the roots mix, the cocoa absorbs flavours giving it a distinctive taste…Grenadian cocoa for me is one of the best…
Breakfast is like many other Caribbean countries as it consists of a saltfish bake…Bakes are a type of bread that’s fried until golden brown. You can choose from an array of side dishes, such as cheese or sausage; however, saltfish fried with tomato, onion, and herbs are among the most popular…
Granada is an island so of course seafood is fresh and bountiful…and a local favourite is lambie souse. Lambie is the name for conch, and it’s the star ingredient of this particular dish. Conch is tenderized and slowly cooked with a mixture of lime juice, onion, garlic and hot pepper, to create a soupy, seafood meal that’s also a fantastic source of protein.
Plus if you are holidaying in Granada you cannot without sampling Callaloo Soupo. Made with the dasheen leaf an ingredient found throughout the Caribbean, callaloo soup is found on all of Grenada’s food menus. The leafy green soup boasts a creamy texture, thanks to the coconut milk, and it’s great as a starter or a quick snack at any time of day.
Famed for its local Craft beers and(Rum), no Caribbean trip is complete without sampling either or both… one of the best additions to Grenada’s culinary scene is the West Indies Beer Co., the eastern Caribbean’s first microbrewery…of course, there are other rum distilleries to take a tour around like the Westerhall Estate Distillery, the third oldest distillery in Grenada…I have it on the best authority that the rum is very, very good…
Thank you for joining me today for this virtual tour of Granada the Spice Island I hope you enjoyed the tour…
Retired? No one told me! 